


Phantom Touch

by Barbara_Lazuli



Series: Strange and Creepy, Unusual and Kooky [3]
Category: Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King, The Addams Family (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Wholesome family shenanigans, this musical really wanted to gut punch me with the found family feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25428748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbara_Lazuli/pseuds/Barbara_Lazuli
Summary: "It'll just be dinner," Charles insists. "I want the whole family to meet this girl who says she's willing to marry my daughter.""Come again?" Barbara dubiously asks. From beside her, Delia has that open-mouthed smile she wears whenever something especially intriguing happens in those reality shows she watches."When you mean the whole family..." Adam adds."Yes," Charles replies without further prompting. "All of us."
Relationships: Charles Deetz & Delia Deetz & Lydia Deetz & Adam Maitland & Barbara Maitland, Wednesday Addams/Lydia Deetz
Series: Strange and Creepy, Unusual and Kooky [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827526
Comments: 34
Kudos: 247





	Phantom Touch

**Author's Note:**

> So if you've seen my Lydsday art on tumblr, then you know that I've been writing a fic where Wednesday finally meets BJ. This is not it. I'm sorry for those who looked forward to the bug man. I just listened to Children We Didnt Have and then suddenly wanted to write this. The one with Bj is still in progress, but I hope yall still enjoy this :D

News of Lydia finally dating Wednesday receives mixed reactions when she breaks it to her family over dinner. Barbara and Adam immediately swarm her with questions about Wednesday, eager to know what kind of girl she's dating. Charles looks defeated, likely dreading the possibility of spending more time with other Addamses. Delia, meanwhile, is stuck on surprise about Lydia dating a girl.

"You should've told me you were gay, Lydia!" she indignantly says. "I would have bought you a rainbow dress instead of a yellow one."

Lydia grimaces. "No. Don't you even dare."

"Oh, oh! You have different colored flags for each sexuality right? I know because I looked up a lot of stuff back when I caught my ex-husband and his boyfriend." She laughs as she pulls out her phone and the rest of them exchange awkward glances over the table. "Let's see... Lesbian flag..."

Barbara floats over to Delia's side so she can also get a look at her phone. "Ooh... Shades of Red, white, and _pink_ ," Barbara teases Lydia as she waggles her eyebrows. "Very you."

"Uh, _no_ ," Lydia shakes her head.

Delia pouts, "Aw."

"'You doing okay, Charles?" Adam asks, making Lydia check on her father.

He has his hands clasped in front of his face, looking like he just swallowed a very large pill. Then he straightens himself and looks Lydia in the eye. 

"Do you like this girl that much?" he asks her.

"Well, yeah..." Lydia shrugs in an attempt to lighten the suddenly tense atmosphere. "I uh..."

It's difficult to verbalize how much she has come to adore Wednesday. She can't say something as cliché as saying that she's this pure angel that has brought life to her bleak world. That isn't Wednesday anyway. Wednesday is brutal, and cunning, and morbid. But she isn't selfish, and she dislikes injustice. And despite her cold demeanor, Wednesday loves her family and friends dearly. The kind of love where she's willing to do anything, something she has proven to Lydia time and again.

She doesn't chase away Lydia's darkness. She helps her appreciate the comfort it could bring. Wednesday's like the quiet night, illuminated only by the moon and stars. Cold, potentially dangerous, and hauntingly beautiful.

Despite her musings, all she could actually tell her father is, "She's really cool." She has no interest in exposing herself so much, after all. "I like her a lot, Dad."

Charles breathes in before releasing it. "Okay."

Lydia blinks. "Yeah? I mean, not that I needed your permission or anything."

"Ask your... girlfriend... when she's free to come over. I'd like her to have dinner with us."

"What?"

"Oh..." Adam chuckles lowly and tells Lydia. "Somebody's gonna be given the shovel talk."

"Uh... How about we don't do that?" 

"I'm not going to threaten a teenager, Lydia."

"I'm actually more worried for you, Dad."

"It'll just be dinner," Charles insists. "I want the whole family to meet this girl who says she's willing to marry my daughter."

"Come again?" Barbara dubiously asks. From beside her, Delia has that open-mouthed smile she wears whenever something especially intriguing happens in those reality shows she watches.

"When you mean the whole family..." Adam adds.

"Yes," Charles replies without further prompting. "All of us."

Adam looks like he's choking back tears. 

"Oh, Charles!" Barbara zooms over to her father, only to pass through him. Charles uncomfortably shivers. "Ah, whoops. I was going to hug you, sorry."

"It's... fine."

Lydia narrows her eyes at Charles. "You just want Adam and Barbara to scare Wednesday away, don't you?"

Charles crosses his arms. "I don't know what you mean," he lies again.

"Well, joke's on you, Dad." She leans back in her seat, mirroring her father's posture. Proudly, _fondly_ , she says, "Wednesday's the scariest person in all of Jersey."

**** **** **** **** 

"I'll go. Just tell me when."

"Wait, really?" Lydia gapes at her phone, even double-checking that she called the right number. 

"Sure. Why not? I've always been intrigued by the two ghosts you share your home with. I've been wanting to meet them."

"Oh, well, Adam and Barbara may not be what you expect. They're not like the ghosts in your house. Aside from being, you know, _dead_ , they're pretty normal."

Lydia rolls over so she's now on her back. She stares at the ceiling, wishing she actually had Wednesday in front of her. It's still surreal, to think that she's her girlfriend now. 

"That's fine," Wednesday replies. "I'd like to see ghosts capable of corporeal forms. Not even most of the ghosts in our home can do that. They're rare. Unlike you, I can't see spirits unless they want to be seen."

"Huh. So Adam and Barb are actually pretty cool for ghosts."

"Hopefully, they're strong enough to learn more tricks."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

For a few seconds, Lydia can only hear silence from the other end. Then, "Nothing."

"The hell? Now you _have_ to tell me!"

"Good night, Lydia," is Wednesday's only reply before hanging up.

Lydia scoffs, glaring at her phone's wallpaper. 

**** **** **** **** 

When Wednesday arrives for dinner, Lydia is surprised to see that she has brought gifts: a box containing what is likely dessert and something covered in black and silver gift wrapper. Though in hindsight, she should have expected it. For everything the Addamses are, they are adamant about manners and hospitality, even if their definition of them may differ in some ways.

"Any of those for me?" Lydia teases, leaning against the doorframe.

Wednesday's eyes widen, if only minutely. "Did you want me to bring you a gift?" she sincerely asks.

Lydia fakes a groan and even dramatically throws back her head. "Why do you have to be so sweet? It's unfair."

"How dare you call me _sweet_ ," Wednesday sneers at that last word.

"You can't deny what you are, babe," Lydia says as she takes the box and pulls Wednesday by the wrist into her home. 

"Oh, is that her?" Delia sing-songs as she steps into the living room. She raises her arms, prepped to embrace their guest. "Tuesday!"

Wednesday raises a hand to stop Delia's advance. "It's Wednesday."

"Wednesday!" Delia immediately self-corrects before by-passing Wednesday's hand and hugging her anyway.

Wednesday's glare at Lydia screams betrayal as she only sniggers at her girlfriend's dilemma. Fortunately, Delia eventually lets her go. Any longer and Lydia would have been worried. She knows Wednesday always keeps a knife on her person.

"Aren't you two adorable?" Delia says. "Legit goth GF's!"

"Stop. Just. Here." Lydia hands Delia the box. "Wednesday brought it."

"Oh?" Delia opens the flap a tiny bit to get a peak. "Chocolate cake?"

"Yes," Wednesday says. She's still obssessively straightening her clothes. "Mother baked it for you to enjoy. Don't worry. I've told her not to put poison in it."

"O-Oh..." Delia's smile turns strained. "How thoughtful of you. Thank you. Let me just put this in the fridge. We'll all eat it later."

As soon as Delia leaves, the temperature in the room drops. Lydia and Wednesday exchange confused glances before they notice two figures emerging from the floorboards. Adam and Barbara float before them, bodies bent and bloodied like the way they died. Their faces are gaunt, so different from the lively couple Lydia knows and loves.

"Guys, seriously?" Lydia flatly says, hands rubbing her cold arms. "Not the time."

Two gaunt faces look to each other before they dejectedly hang their bloody heads. 

"Let me just call Charles so we can -- AHHHHHH!"

All four of them turn to an unfortunate, frantic Delia. 

"Oh no, Delia it's us!" Barbara hurriedly says. 

In five fascinatingly gruesome seconds, Adam and Barbara shift back to their regular selves. 

"Oh, right..." Delia says, hand clutching her heaving chest. "I forgot you were going to do that."

"Sorry, we didn't mean to be rude," Adam tells Wednesday. "Charles told us to do it."

"Wednesday should be able to handle that much if she wants to date our little girl," Barbara resolutely says.

Lydia's cheeks flush. Not even the slowly thawing room could compare to the warmth those words bring her. She should be embarrassed by their over-protective display, but she's too distracted by Barbara explicitly calling Lydia her child and Adam agreeing with a nod to mind.

"They didn't seem to have spooked you anyway," Charles interjects as he descends the staircase.

Wednesday must sense her father's disappointment because her smirk looks incredibly smug. To Lydia's delight, she sees her father's eye twitch as he notices.

"Yeah, I'm a little disappointed," Barbara pouts. "I thought that was gonna get a reaction."

"We practiced for that, too," Adam laments.

"Don't be sorry," Wednesday tells Adam and Barbara. "I liked it."

"Of course you did," Lydia hears Charles sigh to himself.

"Not every ghost could do what you just did," Wednesday muses. "Be proud."

"Really?" Adam grins like a puppy who received a well-earned treat. He floats over to Wednesday's side as he says, "We've been trying to do more things now that we're... you know. Since we can make people see us now, we've been trying to find other things we could do. After all, we've got a _lot_ of time in our hands."

"Perhaps this could help fill that time," Wednesday holds out the other present and Adam uses his ghostly abilities to float it over to himself. "It's for you and your wife."

"You got us a gift?" Barbara says, looking incredibly touched. 

"I understand you won't be able to enjoy the cake I brought."

"Cake?" Lydia notices Charles discretely ask Delia.

"Don't worry. It isn't poisoned," Delia whispers back.

"That's so thoughtful of you," Barbara remarks. "No wonder Lydia likes you so much."

Wednesday raises a brow as she side-eyes Lydia. "She's said so?"

"Aren't we going to eat yet?" Lydia desperately asks Delia. "I'm starving."

"Of course, of course!" Delia ushers Wednesday to the dining table as Barbara trails behind them.

"Do tell me more," Wednesday asks of Barbara. "Has Lydia talked about me?"

Barbara giggles. "A little bit."

"Dammit," Lydia swears under her breath. She's mildly startled when she feels her father's hand squeeze her shoulder. "Dad?"

Charles shakes his head, chuckling bemusedly. "I suppose she isn't as bad as I expected."

Lydia isn't sure whether saying that Wednesday is simultaneously way better and much worse than what anyone would expect would make sense. So instead, she coyly says, "You should really have more faith in me."

Charles looks at his daughter, smiles, and says, "I really should."

She smiles back. It was a really nice moment until he adds, "But no marriage until after college."

" _Dad_."

He gives her shoulder one last squeeze before heading to Delia's side. Lydia would follow him if she didn't notice Adam reading what seems to be a note attached to their gift. 

"So, what is it?" Lydia curiously asks him.

Adam's shoulders jump. "Just a book!" he replies a bit too hurriedly. "You go ahead and sit with them while I go put this away in the attic."

Adam isn't the best of liars and Lydia is rightfully suspicious. But for the sake of getting through this night, she pushes those thoughts away for now.

**** **** **** ****

Adam and Barbara won't tell her what the deal is with the book and Wednesday won't give in, even when she's bribed her with kisses. All three of them insist it's just a book.

What makes things worse is that she's sure Delia is in on the secret. Delia! She often spends time with them in the attic, intrigued by the many hobbies the couple had picked up when they were alive, so it isn't strange for her to always be there. But the presence of the cryptic book in their house has made Lydia suspicious. 

It's driving her mad. She's tried asking Charles about it, but he knows nothing and has no care for it.

It's maybe two weeks since they got the book when something finally happens. Charles is watching the news while Lydia is on her phone in the living room when they hear cheering from upstairs. They can even faintly hear Delia's triumphant "Sucks-yes!"

"Pottery must be more exciting than I thought," Charles says.

"Or they got to a kickass plot twist on that stupid book," she not-so-bitterly adds.

Soon they hear Delia's footsteps descending the steps, but a giddy Adam and Barbara beat her to the living room.

"Lydia! Lydia!" Barbara exclaims. She's jumping in place, not even bothering to contain her excitement. "Stand up, quick!"

Despite being thoroughly confused, Lydia complies. Barbara immediately jumps on her, but instead of phasing through the girl, she manages to tentatively wrap her arms around her.

Barbara's still cold, but she's _solid_. Lydia can't believe what she's feeling. She wraps her arms around her as well, and Barbara squeezes her tighter in return.

"Hey, I want in on this, too!" Adam says before Lydia feels another pair of arms encircle her.

Lydia laughs in sheer, utter delight. 

"Oh, sweetie..." Barbara pulls away just enough to get a look at Lydia's face. She wipes at her tear-stricken cheeks. "You're crying."

"I'm okay," Lydia says. "You can wipe them away now. How are you even doing this?"

"It's the book Wednesday gave us," Adam says. "Sorry we didn't tell you about it. She wrote in the note to keep it a secret."

He hands her the note Lydia noticed. In Wednesday's neat handwriting, it reads:

_This book is a lot like the Handbook for the Recently Deceased. Though my ancestors used certain chapters to teach spirits how to be tangible enough to hurt the living, I'm sure the two of you can benefit differently from it. Lydia has often lamented not being able to simply touch her dearly departed friends._

_Of course, I won't stop you either from using it for its intended purpose._

_I advice you keep it a secret from Lydia until you succeed. No need to make her look forward to nothing, after all._

This really is unfair. How could Wednesday do something like this? Lydia doesn't think she deserves to be so lucky.

"Charles, don't think we forgot about you!" Barbara says as she now pulls Charles for a hug. "Sorry it's a little bit chilly."

"It's fine," Charles chuckles as he returns the embrace. He glances at Adam.

"Now, now, Charles," Adam says. "I understand. Men to men affection can be awkward--"

Charles extends an arm for him. "Just come here, man."

Adam tackles him before he's even finished his sentence.

"Oh, me too!" Delia, who had been watching with unabashed tears, starts approaching them with open arms. "I want to be a part of this, too!"

For one blissful moment, Lydia watches as these four adults cry and hug like overwhelmed children. She fondly looks at the note in her hand before placing it on the coffee table. She joins them without warning, and they end up a messy pile on the living room carpet.

**** **** **** **** 

Wednesday notices her before she could even knock on the window. Lydia waits on Ichabod's branch as Wednesday pushes open the pane. 

"You seem very happy," Wednesday remarks.

"Because a certain someone gave Adam and Barbara a way to be tangible at will. But did you _really_ have to make them keep it a secret?"

Wednesday rests her elbows on the ledge, chin on an open palm. "I've learned my lesson. I disappointed you when I couldn't give you your mother. I didn't want to disappoint you again if your other family couldn't succeed."

"And if they never succeeded? Would you never accept my bribe to kiss you?"

"If it went on for long enough, I would find my ways. Seduction isn't all that hard."

"Hah!" Lydia takes a moment to just drink in the girl before her. How is she so lucky? "Thank you. So much. You have no idea what this means to me."

A small but genuine smile graces Wednesday's lips. "Anything for you, Lydia."

Lydia grins. She pats the branch supporting her and says, "Hey, Ichabod, could you get me closer to my girlfriend?"

When Ichabod complies, Wednesday asks, "Did you want to come inside?"

Lydia shakes her head. "Not tonight."

She reaches out a hand to tug at one of Wednesday's lapels. Lydia feels her gasp against her lips. She thought she wouldn't feel much, considering Wednesday's thin lips, but her mouth is pleasantly soft. And despite her demeanor, Wednesday is actually very warm.

By the time she has pulled away, Lydia's chest is thrumming. To her delight, she can even see a bit of color in Wednesday's cheeks.

"I just wanted to give you a good night kiss," Lydia says.

 _Anything for you_ , echoes in Lydia's mind. She sincerely finds herself thinking that she would offer the same.


End file.
